Valve Alignment Average* Mis-Alignment Per Manufacturer

(in thousandths of an inch)

Make 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
valve valve valve valve valve valve
up- up- up- down- down- down-
stroke stroke stroke stroke stroke stroke
Bach .015 .022 .014 .013 .015 .013
Definition: Benge .019 .019 .021 .024 .022 .025
Main Entry: valve align·ment
B&S .007 .007 .010 .011 .015 .011
Variant(s): also piston aline·ment
Calicchio .016 .015 .016 .021 .019 .018
Function: noun
1 : the act of aligning or state of being aligned; especially : the proper Conn .017 .016 .015 .019 .017 .018
positioning or state of adjustment of the pistons in relation to their Courtois .020 .019 .022 .029 .029 .030
corresponding holes in the valve casings. Destino .015 .017 .009 .016 .025 .035
Eclipse .020 .010 .032 .035 .022 .016
Edwards .010 .011 .021 .033 .038 .041
In general, a Bob Reeves Valve Alignment will improve: Getzen .021 .023 .023 .028 .024 .025
Holton .026 .026 .032 .025 .023 .026
• Range (page 4)
• Pitch (page 4) Jupiter .018 .020 .010 .012 .015 .012

• Slotting (page 5) Kanstul .019 .018 .023 .026 .018 .019

• Endurance (page 5) King .020 .021 .022 .023 .022 .019

• Colors in the Sound (page 5) Lawler .020 .017 .021 .038 .026 .027
• Accuracy and Consistency (page 4) LeBlanc .032 .032 .028 .021 .022 .021
Marcinkiewicz .018 .018 .016 .043 .036 .032
Martin .023 .024 .021 .015 .013 .011
Monette .015 .022 .005 .032 .008 .028
Schilke .013 .017 .014 .015 .017 .016
Selmer .017 .019 .018 .022 .023 .019
Stomvi .013 .015 .018 .017 .015 .017
Taylor .011 .022 .026 .007 .008 .014
Wild Thing .009 .010 .006 .015 .014 .011
Yamaha .012 .013 .012 .012 .013 .013
*Averages computed from over 30 years of empirical data
All horns are designed with proper valve alignment in mind.
It is through accumulated tolerances, unstable pad material,
and speed of manufacture that horns exhibit improper valve alignment.
Bob Reeves Brass Mouthpieces is the
only facility with a patented alignment process that For reference, the average difference in bore size
ensures your horn is aligned to the between medium and large bore trumpets
most accurate standards available. is only .008"
2 Questions? 800-837-0980 661-775-8820 (CA & International) 3
 Valve Alignment Benefits
Valve Alignment and Range
When your valves are not lined up properly, each valve combination
gives a different timbre. When the timbre changes, a musician will
compensate with his/her chops in order to even out the timbre. By
compensating with your chops, you are working harder than necessary
to play the instrument. When you are working harder than necessary,
the upper register becomes difficult.
When your valves are in proper alignment, you don’t have to
compensate as much to play in tune and even out the sound.
The upper register then becomes easier and more consistent.
By ensuring through proper valve alignment that
your horn is giving the best performance possible,
you can often use a more efficient mouthpiece,
resulting in more sound for less work.
Valve Alignment and Pitch
Valves are pushed down to lengthen the tubing and change the pitch
of the note. If the piston is not lining up properly with the holes in the
casing, pitch is affected. This leads to manipulation of the lips or the use
of false fingerings in an effort to play in tune.
Once the alignment is correct you can concentrate on making
music, not adjusting for pitch.
Valve Alignment, Accuracy and Consistency
Accuracy and consistency on an instrument come from trial and
repetition over a period of time. Because all horns without a Bob
Reeves Valve Alignment use felt, rubber, or some other type of
unstable pad material, the alignment of these horns changes over time.
These unstable pads are affected by saliva and oil as well as the
pounding during use. As the pads change, the alignment changes and
the relative positions of the notes change.
Consistency improves with a Bob ReevesValve Alignment.
4 Questions? 800-837-0980 661-775-8820 (CA & International)
Valve Alignment Benefits (cont.)
Valve Alignment and Slotting
Well defined slots are essential to efficient playing. When the valves of
your instrument are not lined up properly, the slots are interrupted.
It’s as though you are half-valving a note (although, in reality, it is much
less than half the valve distance) all the time.
When the slots are squirrelly (a result of improper valve alignment), it
is more difficult to execute proper slurs and attacks.
After a Bob ReevesValve Alignment, slotting is greatly improved.
Valve Alignment and Endurance
As outlined in the section titled “Valve Alignment and Range”, when
your valves are not in proper alignment you must work harder to play
the instrument. This is caused by the variation in pitch and timbre
resulting from the valves being out of place.
Endurance increases with proper valve alignment.
We give you the exact measurements of how much
we adjusted each valve in both the
upstroke and the downstroke.
We keep detailed records of each instrument we
align so that if you ever need replacement pads,
we can send them to you.
Valve Alignment and Sound Color
The easiest way to think of how valve alignment affects sound is to
think about what happens to the sound when you half-valve a note;
both the high and low frequencies are compromised.
If your valves are out of alignment it is as though they are half-valved
all the time, but instead of being half the valve, it’s maybe a
32nd of an inch.
You will hear more colors in your sound after a
Bob ReevesValve Alignment.
5
 Our Process Technical Details
• Each horn is measured and analyzed With correct valve alignment, when you excite a note, the resonance is
We use tools and gauges of Bob Reeves’ design much better than prior to a valve alignment.
• New pads are installed
We use our own extremely stable pad material The impedance versus frequency graph below illustrates good
• The horn is re-measured resonance peaks as measured using a salpingometer.
• The horn is adjusted to fit the new pads
This is the best way to assure permanence
• The horn is re-measured and the alignment
is verified
This ensures the most accurate alignment available

With incorrect valve alignment,

tone suffers along with
focus, pitch, and feel.

• We keep detailed records of every horn aligned

This includes the original mis-alignment data which helps Well-defined resonance peaks-
a partial result of correct valve alignment.
if follow up mouthpiece work is needed
• We have aligned thousands of horns
Whatever piston instrument you have, we have probably Proper valve alignment manifests itself in
worked on one like it more resonance, better slotting, and
• We have the largest database of horns aligned more consistent timbre from valve to valve.
Our extensive experience enables the best, most permanent
alignment possible
• We have the only stable pad material available
Beware of felt, or rubber (including neoprene) pads;
their dimensions are adversely affected by saliva and oil

Bad valve alignment manifests itself

in less resonance, compromised
slotting, and inconsistent timbre
from valve to valve.

After a Bob ReevesValve Alignment, your horn will have

improved resonance peaks and therefore, improved slotting.

6 Questions? 800-837-0980 661-775-8820 (CA & International) 7

 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) FAQs (cont.)
How do I know if my horn needs an alignment?
Our experience substantiates that most, if not all, horns can benefit from a Beware of rubber or felt pads;
Bob ReevesValve Alignment. they compress from use and
swell from contact with saliva and oil.
Contact us and we’ll help you determine if your horn will benefit.
My local repair guy does alignments, why should I send my
I just bought a brand new horn, does it need to be aligned? horn to you?
Unless it’s a V~Raptor or other horn that includes a Bob Reeves Valve We have seen many horns lined up by other shops. Upon measuring them with
Alignment at the time of manufacture, our answer is (surprisingly) yes.There our process, we find that the alignment performed by others is not as effective in
are a several reasons for this. All manufactured horns suffer from accumulated solving the problems associated with incorrect valve alignment.
tolerances. In addition, most horns use either felt, cork, or rubber pad material,
of which none are stable. If you are lucky enough to get a horn that has good Other shops use different measuring techniques, different port prioritization, and
alignment from it’s maker, because of the unstable pad material the alignment unstable pad material.
will continually change.
Can I just order pads without having an alignment?
No. Just ordering pads from us will most likely cause your horn to be further out
of alignment than it is now.This is because we use pads of a dimension designed
to optimize our valve alignment, and they are not compatible with unaligned
horns.

How long does a Bob Reeves Valve Alignment last?

The work we perform is permanent and is unaffected by playing the horn. If any
parts of the valve assembly are replaced or worked on by someone other than Bob
Reeves Brass, the alignment will be compromised.The only variable is how our Don’t you guys just replace the pads when performing a
pad material reacts with your body chemistry.This varies from person to person, valve alignment?
but most can expect to get a minimum of 5 years use before needing to replace Replacing the pads plays an integral role in the alignment, however it is only a
the pads. If you’ve had an alignment by us and think the pad dimensions have small part of the process. We adjust your horn to fit our pads. By doing this we
drifted, contact us and we’ll send you the appropriate pads based on our assure the most effective and permanent valve alignment.
record of your horn.
What if I send my horn for alignment and I absolutely hate the
results?
Many trumpet players We keep detailed records on every horn we align.This allows us to restore your horn to its
end up with a un-aligned state if desired.
drawer full of
mouthpieces. Since beginning valve alignments in 1975, we have only restored three horns back to
This is because they their un-aligned state. In these cases, the horns were initially extremely far out of
“chase”the alignment alignment. As a result, the players had chosen large mouthpieces to compensate for the
of their valves as it increased backpressure caused by mis-alignment. After our alignment, the mouthpieces were
too big for the players. These players were opposed to making any mouthpiece adjustments,
changes over time. and thus we returned their horns to their unaligned states.
8 Questions? 800-837-0980 661-775-8820 (CA & International) 9
 FAQs (cont.)
Why do I have to set up an appointment when I’m mailing in
my horn?
Because of our popularity and limited resources for performing valve alignments,
it’s best to make a mail-in appointment. It’s like you’re walking in the door, but
instead of you, it’s the UPS guy, for example.With a mail-in appointment, your
horn is not in our shop for more than a day. Horns that arrive without an
appointment may take several weeks for us to get to.
To compensate for bad valve alignment,
many players gravitate to larger mouthpieces
in an effort to feel comfortable.
Larger mouthpieces are harder to play.
Now that Bob Reeves Brass has aligned my valves, what
changes should I expect?
Depending on the severity of your horn’s initial misalignment, your results will
vary. Even horns that initially have relatively close alignment will play more
evenly and with more colors in the sound after our alignment.The average horn
will gain improved pitch, slotting, sound, even-ness, and projection.
Can you align my flugel, valve trombone, euphonium,
baritone, tuba, or helicon?
Yes. If it has piston valves, we can align it.
10 Questions? 800-837-0980 661-775-8820 (CA & International)
How To Ship A Horn
To ensure that your horn is protected and that your
shipping costs are minimized, follow these guidelines:
• The best way to ship a horn is without a case
Horns often shift in a case when shipping and get damaged
• Wrap instrument in bubble wrap
Bubble wrap is available at packing supply stores and shipping centers -
be sure to tape the bubble wrap closed around the horn
• Pack in a sturdy box that is big enough to give at least
2-3 inches on all sides of the instrument
• Fill the space around the instrument with Styrofoam
packing “peanuts”
Be sure to pack firmly, too little packing material is dangerous
• Enclose a letter
Provide your name, address, phone number, and return
shipping information including how much insurance you would like -
we advise you insure your horn for its replacement value
• Seal box with packing tape
• It is best to make an appointment before shipping
your horn
With an advance appointment your horn will not be in our shop for more
than a day - we usually book appointments two weeks in advance
Most problems on the trumpet are not
solely mouthpiece based;
they tend to be balance problems.
A horn with incorrect valve alignment
will prevent the optimum balance of
mouthpiece to horn from being
realized and maintained.
11
 Bob Reeves’ Patented Valve Alignment
The First – and Still the Best.
• The only patented valve alignment system
US Patent #3,990,342

• The most accurate available

We measure and adjust each horn to within plus or minus .001"

• The longest lasting — up to 15 years

We use pads of our own design that are extremely stable
(rubber [including neoprene], felt, and cork pads are not stable)

• We keep accurate records of each horn we align

New pads, if ever needed, can be replaced by the player, without
the need to send the horn back to our shop

• We can align any piston instrument

Piccolo trumpets to tubas

• Both vertical and rotational alignment available

• Valve Alignment experience as far back as 1975

• Follow-up mouthpiece work, if needed

We have worked with thousands of players and know what
adjustments are occasionally needed after an alignment

• Same-day service with appointment

Bob Reeves Brass Mouthpieces This guide conceived of by Robert S. Reeves

25574 Rye Canyon Road, Suite D Written by K.O. Skinsnes
Valencia, CA 91355 Design and layout by K.O. Skinsnes
800-837-0980 Edited by Jesse Irving
661-775-8820 (international) Graphics by John Snell
www.bobreeves.com info@bobreeves.com Photography by Larry McCracken
Copyright © 2006 by Bob Reeves Brass Mouthpieces. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or
retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Bob Reeves Brass Mouthpieces.